Innumerable roads in the city, including Thammanam-Pullepady road, are either not restored after trenching or are riddled with potholes, even as the monsoon is around the corner.
Maintaining that the Kochi Corporation, Public Works department (PWD), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) ought to have completed pre-monsoon maintenance and road resurfacing, D.G. Suresh, secretary of the Ernakulam District Residents’ Associations Apex Council (EDRAAC), said that drains along several byroads were yet to be desilted. “This, in turn, would clog them, leading to waterlogging on roads and the subsequent formation of potholes,” he added.
On its part, KMRL has been slow in repairing potholes and resurfacing one side of the heavily barricaded Civil Line Road, which was handed over to it by the PWD for constructing the Kochi Metro’s Kakkanad extension. This has resulted in a significant height difference between the road and the footpaths, while steep shop entries have further narrowed the usable width of the road outside the barricades, he said.
Expressing concern over the delay in levelling and resurfacing the Thammanam–Pullepady road, which was trenched for laying water pipelines, Sakeer Thammanam, councillor for Division 45 in the Corporation, said the condition of the road was causing accidents and traffic congestion. “The Kerala Water Authority must promptly resurface the trenched portions, while the mobile pothole repair machine handed over to the Corporation by Cochin Smart Mission Limited should be optimally deployed to fill potholes along this corridor and other damaged roads in the city,” he said.
Lawyer-cum-environmental activist Girijavallabhan sought speedy measures to remedy the ‘pathetic’ condition of Thammanam-Pullepady Road that links M.G. Road and the NH 66 bypass. “The potholes and undulations along the road, including atop the Pullepady bridge, must be rectified on a war footing before the rains intensify and schools reopen as they are causing acute traffic hold-ups,” he said.
Published – May 23, 2025 12:56 am IST
